Emergency Calls
If you need to make an emergency call, you should first dial either 000 or 112 from your mobile phone. If there is any mobile phone tower in range, regardless of provider or whether you have an active service, you will be connected directly to an emergency services operator who can assist you directly.
With any luck, you will never need to make an emergency call via your CB radio. Unfortunately, there may be a time where you need to do so – either when your mobile phone is broken or is not in range of a cellular tower.
What are the emergency channels?
On UHF CB, the emergency channels are 5 & 35. On AM CB, the emergency channel is 9. Use of these channels for anything other than emergency calling is prohibited and misuse can be prosecuted by either fine or imprisonment.
If you are using an emergency channel for anything other than emergency calling and are asked to move to another channel, you should follow the direction by the other radio operator, as it is likely that your traffic will be recorded and your misuse will be reported to the ACMA for enforcement.
A comprehensive list of reserved channels and their frequencies is listed elsewhere in this FAQ.
Who monitors emergency channels?
There is no official government agency or entity which monitors for emergency calls on either UHF or AM CB radio. There are, however, a number of independent groups and individuals who monitor these channels in different areas and relay calls to emergency services. These groups and individuals do not promise 24/7 coverage and these services are provided only on a best-effort basis.
